


A Date for the Birds

by idinathoreau



Series: My Childhood Would Have Been SOOO Different With You In It [5]
Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Erin's just trying to keep up, F/F, Holtz is a giant bird nerd, Holtzbert - Freeform, basically 3k words of pure birding fluff, birder!Holtz, date, lots of birds, nerd date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:59:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8825773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idinathoreau/pseuds/idinathoreau
Summary: At Erin’s suggestion, Holtzmann takes her out to search for some birds in Central Park.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Birder!Holtz strikes again! This is really becoming a problem…most of these sightings are based on actual experiences from my many mornings spent actively pursuing birds. I tried my best not to get to into the birding though, this was meant to be about Holtzbert being stupidly in love... Anyway, enjoy all the nerdy descriptions of birds!

Erin hated mornings. This wasn’t even morning, it was dawn at best. 

She cursed softly as she stumbled around her tiny bedroom, looking for her other woolen sock. The garment had somehow completely eluded her in the tiny space, despite her swearing that she had left it inside of her boot the previous night. How it had managed to get anywhere else went against all the many laws of physics that she knew. Whatever, it was far too friggin’ early and she needed that other damn sock…

With a grunt of triumph, Erin yanked the offending piece of fabric from under her bed and jammed it on her foot. She fumbled her sock-clad foot into her shoe and tied it up tight. Her head felt fuzzy and she hated that it was still too dark to make out anything more than vague shapes outside her window. 

Erin swore if it weren’t for the simple fact that she was going on a date with Holtzmann, she’d be snuggled up under her covers right now, blissfully unconscious. 

She nearly banged her hip on the edge of her bed on her way out, only missing it because of muscle memory. Her door closed behind her with a little more force than she’d meant to and she winced, hoping she hadn’t woken Abby. The researcher could be merciless if awoken too suddenly. 

Thankfully, it seemed Abby was still unconscious. 

Erin picked her way downstairs in the dark, convinced that turning on the lights would only make her eyes hurt more and remind her of how no human being should be awake at this hour.

As she stepped into the second-floor lab, Holtzmann looked up. For a moment, Erin forgot her quarrels with time to just simply drink in the spectacle that was her girlfriend. The engineer was bundled up in what looked like three different flannel shirts, a thick brown vest, a red hunting hat with ear flaps comically pointing up (instead of pulled down over her ears) and her usual combat boots. She looked, quite honestly, adorably warm.

“Ready?” Holtz asked. 

Erin blinked, responding slower than normal only because she was so tired, she was sure. Not trusting her mouth on so little sleep, she only nodded. 

“You are wearing like four layers plus, right?”

Erin nodded again. She was wearing four shirts, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, her thickest woolen hat and gloves. Over all of this, was Holtzmann’s MIT sweater.

“Okay.” Holtz grinned manically, her eyes shining like she had been awake for hours. She scooped up a backpack and handed Erin a thermos. “Let’s go find some birds.”

***

Erin did have to admit, Central Park was very peaceful this time of day. Just before sunrise, it was quiet and empty. Even the lights along the path seemed muted, as if dim from a long night of illumination and eager for the sun to make them obsolete. 

It was cold, but that only made them appreciate the thermos of steaming hot coffee that Holtz had made before they left the firehouse. They passed it back and forth between them as they walked through the park. 

They were near the Loeb Boathouse, Holtz explaining that they were more likely to catch birds near the water. 

“It’s the perfect edge.” The engineer explained, removing her binoculars from her bag and slinging them around her neck. “We’ll get waterbirds and all the smaller migrants sticking to the trees.”

Holtzmann (to no one’s surprise) had constructed herself a new pair of binoculars to use. They had yellow-tinted lenses so she could use them without fear of her eyes hurting. They were also equipped with several additional lenses to increase zoom, a secondary focus knob, and a built in camera. It was quite impressive actually. 

Holtz raised her binoculars and adjusted her focus. Erin almost laughed. She looked rather ridiculous, but it was just so perfectly Holtz that she found it adorable.

Erin was using Holtzmann’s old pair. The pair that had brought them together that night on the roof. She had insisted she could just buy herself some but Holtz wouldn’t have it. 

“You need something trustworthy.” She had said, shoving the binoculars into Erin’s hands. “I trust these with my life.”

Erin had kissed her, understanding the depth of the gesture. 

“ERIN!” Holtz suddenly hissed, startling the physicist so much she nearly dropped her binoculars.

“Huh?”

The engineer bustled right past her, heading for the lake. Erin followed slowly, really hoping Holtz wasn’t about to take a running leap into the water. 

“We got our first bird!” Holtz stage-whispered to Erin, gesturing her to come quicker. She raised her binoculars, her face lighting up as she caught sight of something. “We got a duck!” Her dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, momentarily distracting Erin.

The physicist shook herself, looking out over the water. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

“There!” Holtz pressed a button on the side of her binoculars and a green laser pointer flicked to life. She pointed the beam towards the water, guiding Erin’s untrained eyes right towards the small being at the water’s edge.

Erin slowly raised her binoculars, trying to keep her eyes focused on the spot Holtz was indicating. In the dim light of pre-dawn, she could just barely make out a blob that looked vaguely duck-shaped on the water.

“…are you sure? I cant see it very well.”

Erin nearly leapt out of her skin when Holtzmann slid up behind her, her hands gently sliding around Erin’s on the binoculars. 

“I’m sure. Here…” she tilted the binoculars slightly and adjusted Erin’s focus. “Better?”

Erin made a sound that loosely translated to something an opera singer with a cough might choke out. 

They had been dating for almost 3 weeks now and with several dinners, near-daily coffee dates, and innumerable make-out sessions on the office couch, Erin liked to think that she was past the awkward stage where _everything_ Holtzmann did made her breath hitch and her pulse quicken. But this…she couldn’t tell if it was her drowsiness or the crisp morning air but having the engineer pressed so close to her was…exhilarating. Maybe it was the fact that Holtz seemed to be shivering. 

“Ahh! Nope, come back here you little rascal!” Holtz pulled away from her suddenly, running as quietly as she could towards the edge of the water, where the duck had just dived under the surface like a dolphin. The water rippled where it had vanished but it did not reappear. 

“Awwww…” Holtz pouted, lowering her binoculars. “Well, I’m sure she’ll be back. If I get another look I should be able to tell if she was a ring-neck or a scaup. ”

Erin was still standing where Hotlz left her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. 

“Erin? You coming?” Holtz called over her shoulder, gaze focused on the trees around the path.

Erin shook herself. “Y…yeah.” 

They continued around the pond, keeping half an eye on the water in case the duck reappeared and the other half drinking in the spectacle that was the New York City morning. 

Erin swore she’d crossed into some kind of wilderness because there was no way there were this many birds in New York City.

Holtzmann kept calling out names, the laser pointer on her binoculars swinging from one spot to another as she picked out each member of the dawn chorus one by one. 

“Okay…warbler of some kind now…come on buddy turn around…and we got a yellowthroat!” Holtzmann pounded the air with one fist, the other holding her binoculars steady against her eyes. “ooh! And he’s got a friend….looks like….aha! a butter-butt! We got a yellow-rumped warbler, Erin!”

Erin hadn’t bothered to know a lot of birds growing up in Michigan and after a few years in New York, she was only familiar with the locals: pigeons, sparrows and the occasional hawk. She’d spent most of the past few days looking up tips for beginning birders and memorizing a few species they’d be likely to see. But everything was happening so quickly. Every little flash of movement or note of song was a new individual to identify. Blink and you missed it. Even Holtz seemed overwhelmed.

“ooh, are you a chipper or a white-crowned…? ugh. NO! Get back here! Fuck.”

Erin soon gave up trying to keep up with the birds and instead just watched the engineer. Despite the flurry of curse words she would utter upon losing a bird, Holtz was the picture of calm. Instead of rushing around like she normally did around dangerous radioactive materials, when concerned about scaring off birds, she moved with quiet and still purpose. 

Erin was enthralled. Holtzmann just looked so much softer like this. Her usual manic grin was gone, replaced with a look of pure awe and focus as she scanned the branches above their heads for any signs of movement. Her eyes were relaxed, far from the usual squint she adopted when she went for prolonged periods without her glasses. She took deliberate and measured steps along the path. Where the physicist was used to seeing Holtz dart around her lab like a fly, this hobby showcased her innate ability to detect the smallest detail and focus relentlessly on it. 

It was like she was spotting ghosts: she stopped Erin every few minutes, gently pointing out where a tiny shake of a branch or a flash of color indicated an avian visitor. Half the time, Holtz was too excited about spotting a bird to have time to identify it — she kept claiming her skills were rusty — but when she did know a bird, it was like a child rediscovering forgotten imaginary friends.

“A Nashville! Oh yes! I didn’t think we’d see one here!” Holtz exclaimed in an excited whisper, adjusting her binoculars to snap a picture. Her green dot of light rested on a branch a dozen feet from them.

Erin raised her own lenses, needing to waggle them around quite a bit before she finally settled on the bird Holtz had spotted. 

“Wow.” The bird was smaller than a sparrow with a brilliant blue head, striking yellow breast and a bold white ring around his eye. He tilted his head this way and that, utterly disinterested in the women watching him. 

Erin adjusted her focus, bringing the bird into sharp relief. “He’s so small…” She commented. 

Holtz made a note in a small notebook, tucking the pen behind her ear when she was done. 

“What are you writing down?” 

“Information, Gilbert.” Holtz replied, the book effortlessly disappearing into her back pocket. “What we saw, where we saw it, etc.” She grinned at Erin. “He’s going on my new life list.”

“Life list?”

“Most birders keep one. It’s a record of every bird you’ve ever seen. Every time you see a new species, you add it to the life list.” Holtz patted the book in her pocket. “Before I left for Boston, I had over 350 species on my list.”

Erin nodded, impressed. “Wow. Maybe I should start one.”

Holtz looked like Erin had just promised her a mountain of candy. “You’re lucky. When you first start out, you’re list expands with every trip. When you’re a tough old salt like me, it’s rare to get a new bird.”

“Well,” Erin said, “I guess we’ll just have to keep looking then.”

The sun rose as they slowly made their way around the Lake. Normally Erin would lament the fact that it took them so long to go such a short distance. But she was having far too much fun seeing everything (and watching her girlfriend see everything) to think about that.

A yawn stole unbidden from her lips as they encountered their first woodpecker of the morning: a red-bellied that would not stop calling. 

Holtzmann shot her a look. “Tired, Erin?” 

“No! No, just…this is earlier than I’m used to.” Erin confessed. She clearly had not gone to sleep early enough last night. 

Holtz nodded in understanding. “I hear ya. But getting up this early aint all bad. The best part about it is the special brunch when we get back.”

“Really? What’s that?”

Holtz grinned. “Pancakes. I always make pancakes after chasing birds.”

Erin chuckled. “Why?”

Holtz just shrugged. “By the time I finish birding I’m usually too wired to go back to sleep. And I’m hungry. And I like pancakes.”

Erin couldn’t argue with that logic. And despite her body’s protests, she had never felt more awake than she did right now. 

They rounded the western edge of the lake and continued on their way through a stand of tall oaks. Holtz was now doing something she assured Erin was a legitimate technique for attracting birds. The engineer was hissing through her teeth at odd intervals, making her sound like a tire releasing air in sporadic spurts. 

Erin was doing her very best not to laugh. 

“Erin, I’m completely serious. It’s called phishing and every self-respecting birder does it.” She repeated the action, but this time added more lip to make it sound flatulent. 

Erin doubled over, nearly snorting now. 

Either Holtz just liked making that sound or she loved seeing Erin gasping for breath because she kept doing it, strutting down the path and scanning the trees. 

To Erin’s amazement, it actually did draw some birds closer to them: a few curious chickadees landed not far from them, tilting their heads at the women and mimicking Holtz’s call. Holtz picked out a couple more warblers and a kinglet before the small flock dispersed. 

“Well, I guess they figured out I wasn’t one of them.” Holtz said sadly. 

“You could have fooled me.” Erin quipped, drawing level with her girlfriend. They had nearly made their way around the lake by this point. The sun had risen and it was nearing 8am. The other Ghostbusters would be stirring by this time, ready to start their day.

“Come on Erin.” Holtz said, throwing her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. Her binoculars swung across her chest. “Let’s get you home so I can make you pancakes.”

“These pancakes better live up to your promises…” Erin threatened, her heart racing at the weight across her shoulders. 

“I assure you,” Holtz replied with the utmost conviction, “these hotcakes are like nothing you’ve ever tasted! We do have eggs, right?”

“Yeah…pretty sure we do.”

They were just about to turn away from the Lake and make their way back out to the hustle of lower Manhattan when Holtz suddenly froze. 

“Wait…” She tugged Erin close to a nearby tree, her gaze razor focused on the branches just above them. A bird sat there. 

“No way…” Holtz sounded absolutely dumbstruck. “No way in all the animal kingdom…”

Erin peered closely at the bird, gasping in amazement as she took it in. 

It was like looking at a flame: coal-black wings circling a brilliant yellow body and culminating in an orange-red head that seemed to glow in the morning sun. 

“…I cant believe it…” Holtmann snapped a picture, staring at the bird through her binoculars. “This guy’s very far from home…Am I crazy Erin? That thing’s got wingbars right?”

“Uhhh…” Erin hurriedly raised her binoculars, staring intently at the bird. There was a single white stripe crossing the bird’s wing and a patch of yellow on its shoulder. The bird turned its head as if it were looking right at her. As insane as it sounded, Erin felt like she made direct eye contact with it. “…yeah.” Erin breathed. “Yeah.” 

The bird threw back its head and let out a short _pree peeret peere!_

Holtzmann looked like she was having a spasm. “ _Hell yeah!_ That’s it! That’s the song! We got ourselves a Western Tanager!! WAHOO!”

Holtzmann threw her arms around Erin, practically shaking her with excitement. Erin found herself hugging back, not daring to take her eyes off of the bird in case it flew away. She wanted to remember this moment forever: the excitement, the warmth of Holtz pressed into her side, and the companionship they shared in this cool morning air watching a tiny traveler very far from home.

Maybe Erin would have to learn to love early mornings and condition her body to adapt to them. After all, if they led to moments like this, she wanted them for the rest of her life.


End file.
